Things to do in Birr Castle Demesne

The Gardens

A 'demesne' consists of the lands held by an estate for its own use and occupation, incorporating gardens, farmlands, woods and buildings. This system can be traced back to the early mediaeval period, when home grown items were set aside to produce both goods and profit for the estate. In the 18th and 19th centuries various styles and fashions of landscape ornamentation created new emphases and changes of garden size and layout.

The small kitchen garden and orchard originally developed at Birr is completely different from the garden today enjoyed by thousands of visitors to the demesne every year. Birr Castle Demesne has become world famous for its exotic tree and plant collections, rivers and lake, formal gardens, terraces and wildflower meadows.

Fourteen successive generations of the Parsons family have left their mark on the demesne through continuous planting, building, arrangement and creation of features ranging from the practical to the romantic.

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Ireland's Historic Science Centre

Ireland's Historic Science Centre contains astronomical instruments, cameras, photographs and photographic equipment used by the Third and Fourth Earls and Mary, Countess of Rosse, in the middle and late 1800s.

Also on display is electrical and engineering equipment originally belonging to Charles Parsons and used in his experiments as well as a large area devoted to the botanical work carried out in the Demesne.

The whole collection is housed in the restored stables of the castle.

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The Great Telescope

During the 1840's and starting from virtually first principles, the third Earl of Rosse designed and had built the mirrors, tube and mountings for a 72 inch reflecting telescope which was the largest in the world at that time and remained so for three quarters of a century.

With this instrument, situated near the middle of Ireland, Lord Rosse was able to study and record details of immensely distant stellar objects and to provide evidence that many of these mysterious nebulae were actually galaxies located far outside our own.

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Eating & Shopping

The Discovery Gift Shop at Birr Castle Demesne offers gifts for every taste...

The Courtyard Cafe is seasonal - open mid March through to the end of October.

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